Oxford University Press has designated “rage bait” as the word of the year for 2025, symbolizing the prevailing trend on the internet. This term describes online content intentionally crafted to evoke anger or outrage through provocation or offensiveness, with the primary goal of attracting traffic to specific social media profiles, according to a statement from Oxford.
Lexicographer Susie Dent explained to the BBC that creators of such content often receive massive engagement in the form of comments, shares, and likes due to the algorithms utilized by social media platforms. These algorithms tend to prioritize negative and provocative content because it garners more user interaction compared to positive or neutral content.
“Rage bait” emerged as the winner among other contenders such as “aura farming” and “biohack” following a public review of a selection compiled by lexicographers at Oxford University Press. “Aura farming” denotes the cultivation of a public image to subtly convey confidence, coolness, or mystique, while “biohack” refers to attempts to enhance physical or mental performance, health, or longevity.
The word of the year is chosen by lexicographers at Oxford University Press who analyze the evolving language landscape to identify culturally significant words. This annual selection has been a tradition since 2004, with previous winners including terms like “podcast” in 2005, “emoji” in 2015, and “goblin mode” in 2022, which described individuals resistant to returning to normalcy post the COVID-19 pandemic.